Sunday, October 28, 2018

THE GOOD SAMARITAN

I was surprised upon landing, at the distance between the airport and where I would spend the next four days with thousands of enthusiastic people, preparing to listen to innovative ideas about dietary concerns, environmental woes and the politics that come with all of this. There would be enterprising colleagues to keep us spellbound with new discoveries that would leave us hungry for more and immediately set us in motion to begin planning to attend the next event in the upcoming year; even if only in our minds.

I have diverted a bit. This far away place meant a change in plans, I would not be able to attend the closing session and that meant missing out on hearing from an inspirational speaker. This last session is just as important as any other I would attend because it wraps up all that will unfold during our time at the conference and sends us packing with a reminder of how important and necessary the work we do is. The words of wisdom imparted usually gives us hope not to give up on our inspirations. And I would miss this! Even a short time is better than none I told myself and for my short stay, I realized that the flavor of his advice was heading down BRILLIANCE road. The speaker wanted us to look into the eyes of the person sitting next to us and say"You are so brilliant"
I left after that eye gazing exercise for the trip back home.

The opening session brought us Bonnie St John, a world renowned skier, who only has one leg. I read about her years ago in the Essence magazine, and was in awe of her and all her achievements then and even more so when I heard her speak. Her message was RESILIENCE.
Rushed and unsure of the directions inside the airport, I kept asking until I reached my destination, that is when I realized I had left my coat in the security area. It would mean going back. As confused as I was getting to where I needed to be, I was not looking forward to starting over again. I asked a worker for help, explaining what had happened, he directed me how to return and ASSURED me I would make it on time to board the plane. I took a few steps toward starting over and thought this was risky. I asked another worker, who ASSURED me there was no need to take that trek, the airline staff would be willing to help me retrieve my coat.

As I explained my plight, I was met with a stern "impossible" "we cannot do anything" "security does not want us to bring anything to passengers" "we could lose our job" I was taken aback by the disengagement. It did not matter that I was traveling to a cold place, not a hint of an attempt was made to help me, all I received was a mouthful of why they could do nothing for me.

Desperation sets in and I approached the flight attendant who was standing nearby, thinking she might be a bit more sympathetic. "You heard what she said! And we will not hold the plane for you."
I tried one more time and approached another random airport worker and repeated my predicament. He pointed me to the same people who had dismissed me and I let him on to my experience. He heard me out but did not have a solution and we parted company.

I took my seat, waiting for my zone to be called, knowing that I should just make the best of a bad situation. After all I had heard about resilience, now let me put it into practice. Just as I was about to get on board, I heard someone, trying to get my attention; lo and behold, the young man came to deliver my coat and disappeared just as quickly. I was shock and ran after him, after all he deserved a better thank you, one that came from the heart for an unexpected act of kindness. But he wanted nothing for his kindness.
The package that I took with me from this journey where BRILLIANT things happened, contained RESILIENCE,KINDNESS,BLESSED ASSURANCE.

One Love!

EASING ON DOWN TO KINDNESS ROAD

She cried out to no one in particular
Hoping anyone and everyone
Would hear her plea
"This is not a hard road to travel" she said
"Come let me show you how
Get ready for a journey down Kindness Road"

Fret not if you come across a bump
Here and there
First timers may feel a bit sore
But on your next round
You will make it without a moan

Just point to the way to Kindness Road
She shows him, he shows another
To the left, to the right, around the bend
You can't miss it.
Any turn will lead to Kindness Road

"What if I have a change of heart?" you ask
Too late, says the Genie
That's the wish granted to your fellowmen
And it has spread like wildfire
Any Street, Any Lane, The Alley, The Avenue
Will take you down Kindness Road
There you will find them
Joyfully banding together
For a kinder world